Saturday, March 12, 2016

A Prophecy, A Quest and A Fatal Flaw: One Adult's Case for Reading Kid Lit

If you haven’t been reading kids' books, you are missing
out. The drama, complexity and humor of many juvenile fiction books make for great
reads, no matter your age. As a die-hard Harry Potter fan, and one who was well into adulthood when they were first published, I learned that a
good story can simply be a good story. It is said that J.K. Rowling did not write
Harry Potter as a kids' book on purpose; she was just telling the story of a boy wizard.The characters mature in her
seven-book series, and we often see that similar arc in other juvenile fiction
series. These stories grow in depth and maturity the further we get.

Once I had read all the HP books, I was in search of more – the same
magic, drama and sincerity that I found reading Rowling’s work. There are tons
of great books to explore, many of which, I've found, share these compelling characteristics:

It seems like most of the time, good
wins over evil -- mostly. But we do see sadness, we even see death. Such is real life. But
still, most of these tales are full of heart and hope.

They are real page-turners. They are written to
keep you engrossed in the story. There are prophecies and quests and characters learning about their strengths and their fatal flaws.

You might even learn something! Riordan’s Percy
Jackson books are full of mythological characters that – though tweaked for
these stories -- are actually based on the myths we were supposed to read in high
school and college.

You won’t get much swearing or any R-rated stuff
here. These books are squeaky clean.

You want adventure? You got it! These are some
crazy stories and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

If you are feeling generous, you can totally
share these with the kids in your life. Listening to audio books of kids' lit is
a near-daily activity in my household. Better yet, check out the book too and
listen as you read along. It’s a very good way to help see how challenging
words are spelled – especially in the Percy Jackson/mythology books.

Stop by the Kids Desk or the Recommendations Desk to learn more about the many great tales of adventure.